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beehappy

New Thai Visa Application Regulations


"As a foreigner, you are required by Thai Immigration Law to initially enter the Kingdom on a Visa if you wish to have a long-term stay in Thailand.

This can be a visa (tourist visa for 60 days or non-immigrant visa for 90 days) issued by a Thai Embassy or Consulate outside of Thailand. You can also obtain a temporary stay with under the Visa Exemption Rule (VER). This allows citizens of 41 countries* permission to enter the Kingdom for a limited period of time (up to 30 days depending on the nationality) in accordance with Thai Immigration Law. This is commonly referred to as a 30-day stamp.

Under the new provisions of the Visa Exemption Rule (VER), visitors can now come regularly to Thailand without limiting their stay within a total of 90 days in a six-month period. Just keep in mind that under the VER, you are allowed 30 days maximum on each visit.

The restriction has already been abolished so tourists can now visit Thailand as often as they want, provided that they obtain 30 day Visa on Arrival at airports and 15 day Visa on Arrival if they are traveling via land borders. Thai Immigration Laws are revised on a regular basis for the convenience of tourists. However, immigration officials still recommend getting visas prior to arrival in Thailand, as they remind visitors that back-to-back short visas are not the proper way to extend the stay in the country on a long-term basis."

From this Thai Embassy website page, it looks like both Long and multiple short visas are acceptable, though long visas are preferable.

NiftyDigits

beehappy wrote: »

Are you going on personal experience? If you have a reference to this information that would be great, so I can show my friend. My friend goes to Thailand every year and he has booked a return ticket but it is for 60 days travel. He's the one that informed me I didn't need a visa on arrival, and he said he doesn't either.

He, is an idiot. Let him take his chances. Be prepared to proceed alone. You, with a one way ticket especially, should not.
There is a minute chance that the check-in desk fail to spot that he is on a 60 day return. There is no chance that they will fail to spot that yours is a one way ticket. You'll be relieved that you spent the £25.

NiftyDigits

beehappy wrote: »

New Thai Visa Application Regulations


"As a foreigner, you are required by Thai Immigration Law to initially enter the Kingdom on a Visa if you wish to have a long-term stay in Thailand.

This can be a visa (tourist visa for 60 days or non-immigrant visa for 90 days) issued by a Thai Embassy or Consulate outside of Thailand. You can also obtain a temporary stay with under the Visa Exemption Rule (VER). This allows citizens of 41 countries* permission to enter the Kingdom for a limited period of time (up to 30 days depending on the nationality) in accordance with Thai Immigration Law. This is commonly referred to as a 30-day stamp.

Under the new provisions of the Visa Exemption Rule (VER), visitors can now come regularly to Thailand without limiting their stay within a total of 90 days in a six-month period. Just keep in mind that under the VER, you are allowed 30 days maximum on each visit.

The restriction has already been abolished so tourists can now visit Thailand as often as they want, provided that they obtain 30 day Visa on Arrival at airports and 15 day Visa on Arrival if they are traveling via land borders. Thai Immigration Laws are revised on a regular basis for the convenience of tourists. However, immigration officials still recommend getting visas prior to arrival in Thailand, as they remind visitors that back-to-back short visas are not the proper way to extend the stay in the country on a long-term basis."

From this Thai Embassy website page, it looks like both Long and multiple short visas are acceptable, though long visas are preferable.

No, it's just that you don't understand what has been written.
In addition, there is no 'short visa' in your case. It is a Visa Waiver.
Either way, the airline will not let you fly without a Tourist Visa, regardless of how you interpret what you have read.
You don't need to talk to anyone. I have already told you, so now you know. Tell your friend too. No Visa, no go. You don't want tears at the airport.
The only way to get around this is to buy a fully flexible ticket leaving Thailand within 30 days on the spot and then refund it once you are in Thailand. All a load of hassle.
If you think a sob story of what you were told by the embassy will help you in the airline queue, you'll be quite wrong.
Don't waste your time. Just get the thing done.

You can use the Visa Waiver if you have a confirmed flight out of Thailand within 30 days. You can then pop back into Thailand and get another 30 days and then out again and in again etc.. as longer as you are a proven tourist.
You cannot apply for a Tourist Visa inside Thailand. You can extend an existing Tourist Visa whilst inside the country by thirty days, at the cost of 1900 baht.
Don't get Visa mixed with Visa Waiver.

As to the Prepaid cards, top them up with a nominal amount, say £50 each, until they have been fully activated. Setting the Kalixa Pay up for alerts will inform you of your transactions and cost/balance each time.
Do it now, rather than to waste time thinking that you can find better.

Once done, you can explore getting a Cumberland Plus account if you are from their catchment area.
Second best would be the Gold Classic Current Account from the Norwich & Peterborough Building Society.

But have the Prepaid cards in place in the case of failure. You don't want to be flapping around at the last minute.

Aren't you glad that you posted?

Techn

Thinking of going to Tromso in February, anyone know the best way to spend Norwegian krone?

I used a fairfx card a few years ago for dollars in US and Australia. Noticed they now have a 1.4% transaction fee when using their anywhere card. Anything better around these days? It's been a long time.

NiftyDigits

Techn wrote: »

Thinking of going to Tromso in February, anyone know the best way to spend Norwegian krone?

I used a fairfx card a few years ago for dollars in US and Australia. Noticed they now have a 1.4% transaction fee when using their anywhere card. Anything better around these days? It's been a long time.

Metro Bank debit.

FairFx always had that transaction fee.

Techn

NiftyDigits wrote: »

Metro Bank debit.

FairFx always had that transaction fee.

Metro does look great, no fees for europe. Closest branch is quite far from me though, I'll see if I can get there. I also looked at the ICE travelers cashcard, but their exchange rates are not as good.

NiftyDigits

Techn wrote: »

Metro does look great, no fees for europe. Closest branch is quite far from me though, I'll see if I can get there. I also looked at the ICE travelers cashcard, but their exchange rates are not as good.

Call them before you travel, so that you can have all of the required paperwork at hand. That way, you can get your new debit card on the spot.

If you really can't make it to Metro Bank and most of your spends will be purchases, Kalixa Pay is worthy of consideration, as they levy no charges at all on purchases.

Techn

NiftyDigits wrote: »

Call them before you travel, so that you can have all of the required paperwork at hand. That way, you can get your new debit card on the spot.

If you really can't make it to Metro Bank and most of your spends will be purchases, Kalixa Pay is worthy of consideration, as they levy no charges at all on purchases.

Thank you very much, hadn't heard of them before. I could pay for tours etc with that and then just take some cash with me. They charge £7 activation fee and ATM withdrawal fees. Where as if it went with my old Fairfx card they charge 1.4% transaction fee which would have been over £15 for my purchases, plus ATM fees.

NiftyDigits

Techn wrote: »

Thank you very much, hadn't heard of them before. I could pay for tours etc with that and then just take some cash with me. They charge £7 activation fee and ATM withdrawal fees. Where as if it went with my old Fairfx card they charge 1.4% transaction fee which would have been over £15 for my purchases, plus ATM fees.

Why would you take cash with you?

Just use the Kalixa Pay card to take a chunk out on arrival.
£300 worth from an ATM works out to an overall fee of 0.75%. £200; 1.5%.
Still better than any offer on cash you will find anywhere. Coupled with 0% on purchases, you have good value.
If you have someone send you a referral link and you use it to apply, Kalixa Pay will credit £5 to your account. So you'll only pay £1.95 for the card.(If you want me to do it, you'll have to send me your name and email address via PM. Then Kalixa Pay send you an email and you apply through that email...as far as I understand it)

So, £1.95 plus an ATM withdrawal of £2.25 for totals fees of £4.20.

Metro Bank of course, charge nothing at all. Just depends on whether it will cost you £4.20 or more to get to and fro the bank in order to pick up a debit card.

PeacefulWaters

£3.48 Kalixa offer:
http://affiliate.kalixa.com/uk/kalixa-pay/kalixa-pay-50-discount-offer/?source=FD_3-12-229978-0